The news in this publica-
boD is released for the press on
the date indicated beiow.
the university of north CAROLINA
NEWS LETTER
CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
Pvblished weekly by the
University of North Carolina
for its Bureau ot Extension.
VOL. n, NO. 48
-d»«ri-l Bo«rd. B.C. Branson. J. U. deK. Hamiltog. U R. Wilson, J. H. Johnston, R. H. Thornton, &. al. MoKie.
NORTH CAROLINA CLUB STUDIES
UNIVERSITY
Entered as second-claas matter November U, 1914, at the.postoffloe at Chapel HiH, N. O., nnder the act of August 24,1918.
THE MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC
SOCIETY
The two hundred and twenty-fifth
meeting of The Elisha Mitchell Scientific
Society at tiie University of North Caro
lina was hwd in Chemistry Hall the even
ing of’October 10th.
Two papers were presented: The Sec
ond International Chemical Exposition,
by Dr. A. S. Wheeler; and some Elemen
tary ^^ecto^ Equations, by Mr. J. W.
Lasley, who comes back into the faculty
lafter a year’s absence at Johns Hopkins.
The journals of this society have long
gone regularly to almost every learned so-
iciety in this country and abroad.
AN INTERESTING ITEM
County treasurer’s 2 per cent for dis-
"bursing the school fund J116J.37; salary
of County Superintendent of Schools
4il200.—From the 1915-16 report of one
■of our North Carolina counties.
The county treasurer gets from the
county school fund nearly as much as
chief executive of the school system
,nd more than the average salaries of
ifour white rural teachers. With the
money the treasurer got, four more white
country schools coirld have been run for
325 days in this county.
6.
7.
The
A LIVELY GAIT IN ORANGE
Old Orange is alive and alert this fall.
The county fair at Hillsboro October 26-
'26 will bring our people together as never
i)efore in long years. When we looked
at the crowd at Hillsboro taking part in
ithe first school commencement of the
-county last spring we said: Two things
will follow this awakening, first, better
icountry schools and a bigger, better com
mencement next year, and second, a
ounty fair at the county seat.
Orange is a great county. How else
ould it have played so large a part in
the history of the state in years gone by?
But for a lialf a century we lost faitii in
the strength of our soils and our souls—
■or apparently so.
Our fairs, our county commencements,
our county board of education, forty
lOrange county boys in the University,
jind the University itself will play a large
part in the revival of faith in old Orange.
DEAN NOBLE’S PET
The Chapel Hill Community Club, the
•city board of trade, the business men in
^neral, and the University students and
authorities are co-operating to have a
larger Connnunity Fair than ever on Fri
day, November the third.
Our friends and neighbors in Orange,
"Chatham, and Durham will find a great
welcome awaiting them on the University
campus—in Memorial Hall and on the
athletic field.
The events will be an automobile pa
rade, educational moving pictures, a mu
sical entertainment by the University
Oeneral Gov’mt—Leg., Exe
cutive, Judicial - 14
General Expense — Interest,
Outlays, etc. - - 25
Charities, Hospitals, and Cor
rections - - . 39
8. Public Education and Libra-
braries - - - 71
The Common Weal
The figures are illuminating,
common notion is that tax money goes'
mainly to support office holders and their i
families, to keep fodder in the rack of!
the riiigsters, It is an inveterate, and in!
places an incurable notion—or apparently I
so. !
As a matter of fact for every dollar of
state revenue that goes to oil the machin- '
ery of state government in North Caro- i
liua nine dollars come straight back to
the taxpayers for the education of our
children, the support and care of our
old soldiers, our blind and deaf, the vic
tims of tuberculosis, the insane and feeble
minded, for the protection of our proper
ties from fire, our persons from disease,
and our farmers from fraud; for the reg
ulation of financial institutions and other
corporations in the interest of public se
curity ; for the development and conser
vation of our natural resources, the pro
tection and development of agriculture,
and the general public welfare.
For all these purposes of state the
tax burden in North Carolina is $1.37
per inhabitant—tlie price, say, of two or
three .circus tickets.
We can have less of these public bene
fits by decreasing our state revenues; l)ut
every other state in the Union except
South Carolina has more of these benefits
because their per capita tax revenues are
larger—in Virginia, Kentucky, and Tex
as, they are more than twice as large.
This year’s University Day marked
the 123rd anniversary of the opening
of the institution, one of the very
earliest examples of the applied prin
ciple of the duty of the State 10 edu
cate the youth as the chief investment
in its future strength and greatness.
During the century and a quarter
of its life the- University has been a
. vital force that not even the disasters
of war and reconstruction could ex
tirpate. It hag survived attacks from
without and within. It has been
persecuted by the very people for
whom it was created. It |has lived
and grown and flourished, largely of
its own inherent power as expressed
in the faith with which it has en
dowed its sons.
In the last few years the University
has come into its place as a practical
part of the educational co-operation
which carries light to the whole
people, irrespective of collegiate train
ing. Its civic and social work has
been of marked efficiency. In the
best sense, it has been popularized by
deeds.
Compared with what it is and what
it does, the University remains the
poorest and most neglected institu
tion in the State.
Its cue hundred and fiftieth antii-
\'ersary is coming none too slowly on
the wings of time for the inaugura
tion of a movement to celebrate Octo
ber 12, 1938, with an endowment
fund of at least $1,000,000. —The
Kaleigh Times.
AMAZING FARM WEALTH
L The Big BulK Total
I bering (in 1914) $23,000,000, and by
At the first meeting of tie North Caro-1 manufacture of ail sorts (in 1914) !f;il9,-
lina Club, for the year 1916-17, Mr. S. ; 000,000. Which is to say that our mines.
H. Hobbs, Jr., of Sampson County, pre-1 fisheries, forests, and factories createc
sented for discussion The Primary \^'ealth , some §125,000,000 of annual wealth. But
Produced by Agriculture in .Vorth Caro- j agriculture creates a total nearly twici
lina in 1915,
The full crop total was iS202,000,000,
according to the Federal Crop Report,
said he. If now we add the estimat
ed value of our livestock products we
have a grand total of 3)242,000,000 pro
duced by our farmers alone.
This grand total is more than twice
the primary wealth created by any other
single industry of the state; and in order
to see
as great as all these wealth-producin;.
agencies combined.
7. In 1914, the .total tax value of al
property in this State amounted to $807.
673,000. In 1915, the total wealth creat
ed by agriculture amounted to $242,000,-
000. In other words we create by agri
culture in three and one-third years at
much wealth as the State has been abli
to get upon the tax books in her entire
1 what Agriculture means in North j history
("arolina I submit a few comparisons with
other wealth-producing agencies.
2. Comparisons
1. In 1914, the total value of our in
dustrial products was $278,000,000; the
value of raw materials used was $159,-
000,000; and the value added in the pro
cess of manufacture was $119,000,000.
students, singing contests by the simday rpjijg flgure represents the primary
schools of three counties, atfiletic events produced by our mills and fac-
by the children, exhibits of school and ^ sorts. Manufacture ranks
home, farm and factory products, the
award of prizes. Dean M. t'. S. Noble—
and no speeches.
THE COST LAST YEAR
The burden of taxation for state sup-
iport in North Carolina in 1915 averaged ,
$1.76 per inhabitant. The avenge j‘o ^25>000,000.
■was less in only one state, and greater in , 1 Xu^^
little more than
next to agriculture in North Carolina in
the creation of wealth and gets that rank
even though it creates less than half the
wealth.
2. I.fit us compare agriculture with
our total banking capital in 1915. The
i total banking capital of the State amounts
Now if we divide |242,-
tind that it
j goes nearly ten times. In other words.
(forty-six. 1 . , .
The lisures range from in South , our banking capital is a
•CarolinaS|10.36L Nevada, the average! one-tenth the wealth created by agncul-
I ture year by year.
3. Bank savings in North Carolina
, ,, , - amount to il,000,000 less than our bank
The FinandalStattstics of States, ™^ of this State have
■to the public two ^ f stored away for a raiuy day $24,000,000,
•a inine of mformatiou about tne tinances , . .1.
■for the country-at-large being $3.85.
So reads a Census Bureau Bulletin,
afaro or ess than one- tenth the wealth created
and every other state j . , . . ,
I by agriculture m a single year.
the most significant
is our agricultural
1915 contrasted with
The banks of
«of North Carolina
in the Union.
The first table presented elsewhere ex
hibits the pef capita cost of state govern-
inents for 1915 and 1912 side by side.
What Went With the $176
In my opinion,
comparison of all
wealth created in
our total bank resources.
this State have been able to accumulate
in round numbers
What is covered by this 11.76 and' resources amounting
what w'ent with it in detail was a^ follows: ; to $200,000,000. It is immensely signifi-
1. Highways and Public Recre- | cant that the wealth created by agricul-
ation, less than - - 1 cent, ture in a single year is §40,000,000 great-
2. Public Health and Sanitation 5
10
Protection of Person and
Property - - ■
4. Conservation and Develop
ment of Resources - H
I er than the resources our banks have
I been able to accumulate in 250 years.
I 5. The wealth created by mining in
i North Carolina in 1912 was $3,515,000;
by fishing (in 1914) $1,800,000; by lum-
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
LETTER SERIES NO. 96
I 8. We have proper pride in the faci
that Nortli Carolina leads the South ir,
the annual output of our lumber camps
and wood-working establishments. In
1914 the products they turned out were
worth $57,000,000; but our corn crop
alone in 1914 was worth $57,500,000 and
in 1915 it was worth $64,000,000.
9. We have long been fascinated with
the gold possibilities of North Carolina.
And our annual output of this precious
metal is more than two-thirds ot the total
for all the Eastern States. In 1915, the
gold we produced was worth tlie amazing
amount of $170,000. • But in 1910, we
produced $129,000 worth of wool alone,
while our honey and wax was worth
more than three times the gold we pro
duced the same year.
3. Reflections
Now, having it clearly in mind that
agriculture produces nearly twice as much
wealth in North Carolina each year as ail
other industries combined, and by virtue
of that fact is the fundamental ba.a'is of
North Carolina life, let us consider a few-
related facts.
1. North Carolina civilization is pre
dominantly rural. Our country dwellers
out number our city and town dwellers
mo’-e than four to one Nearly five-sixth
of the school children of the State are
country children. Nearly four-fifths of
all church members in North Carolina 1
are in the countryside. The white voters I
in our country precincts out number the j
white voters in our towns and cities near-1
ly six to one. !
Barely more than five hundred thousand
people in North Carolina in 1910 lived in
towns and cities, or incorporated places
of any size whatsoever. Nearly one mil
lion seven hundred thousand of our peo
ple lived in the open country, or seventy-
Before the rural schools can come into
possession of the things due them there
must be an aroused public sentiment as
to their needs. Previous talks have serv
ed to show how to increase the rural
school term by a better average daily at
tendance on the part of the rural pupils.
It has been pointed out that the average
daily attendance of all pupils enrolled in
the rural schools of the United States is
only 67.6 per cent of the enrollment. If
it were possible to take into consideration
the large number of rural pupils who are
not enrolled but who should be enrolled
by a proper enforcement of a reasonable
compulsory attendance law the average
daily attendance in the rural schools for
the country at large would be less than
60 per cent of the total school population.
Growing Up In Ignorance
In support of this declaration the fol-
, lowing is quoted from the Annual Report
I of the State Superintendent of Schools of
I Georgia for the school year ended Decem-
I ber 31, 1915. Pleading for a reasonable
enforcement of a reasonable compulsory
attendance law, the Superintendent de
clares :
“There are some men who are 3o mean
by nature that they must be forced before
they will give their children educational
opportunities for school training. The
figures show that 169,630 children oi
school age in this State did not attend
school a day last year. Many of those
have never been enrolled during any pre
vious year. \Vithout tfie strong arm of
tfie law they will gro\\- up in ignorance
just as thousands before them have
done.”
If we go one step further our in reason
ing and take into consideration the mil
lions of rural children in short-term
schools of three to four months in length,
it is evident that the average daily atten- I
dance of millions of pupils in the rural |
schools for the nation at large is not 50 '
per cent of what it should be when meas ’
ured by the attendance of pupils in city :
schools with a nine-month’s term. In '
other words, the short term and the poor
attendance in the rural schools are de
priving millions of our country boys and ■
girls of over half their l;)irthright in mat-
tt!rs of free school privileges as compared
with city boys and girls. We are glad
city children have the good school privi-
lei^es that are theirs. We wish the city ^
schools were better. But with the help :
of the press we are determined to expose '
this unju.st, unreasonable, and un-Amer- [
lean discrimination against country boys
and girls. Equality before the law and
equal educational opportunity have not
yet been provided for the farm Roy and
girl.
Crab'lihe Souls
But, strange as it may seem, sparsely
settled rural communities often fight
against the things which are for their own
good. A striking statement of this phase
of the rural problem is found in Exten
sion Bureau Circular, No. 2, of the Uni
versity of North Carolina, July, 1916.
In this issue Professor E. C. Branson de
clares ;
“Everywhere in thinly settled country
regions we find people here and there
who are suspicious, secretive, apathetic,
and unapproachable; who live in the
eighteenth century and preserve the lan
guage, manners, and customs of a past
long dead elsewhere, who prefer their
primitive ancient ways, who are ghettoed
in the midst of present day civilization,
to borrow a phrase from President Frost.
They are crab-like souls described by \’ic-
tor Hugo in Les Miserables, who before
advancing light steadily retreat into the
fringe of darkness. People like these
abound in Clinton and Franklin counties
(New York) where an eighth of the native
white voters are illiterate, in Aroostook
county (Maine) where nearly a fifth of
the native white voters can not read
their ballots or write their names; in
Windham county (Connecticut) where
an eighth of the males of votii;g
age are illiterate. Windham, by the way,
lies midway Vjetween the academic efful
gence of Yale on one hand and of Har
vard on the other. You can find within
the sound of college bells anywhere wii;'t
we foimd the other day in a field survey
that took us into every home in a mid
state county in North Carolina—a family
of whites, all illiterates, half the children
dead in infancy, and Jnever a doctor in
the house in the whole history of ti.e
family.
“All the ages of race history and every
level of civilization can be found in any
county or community, even in ourcrowd-
ed centers of wealth and culture. We
need not hunt for eighteenth century sur
vivals in mountain coves alone.”.
And yet the only remedy for such con
ditions is the education of these peopli s.
Let there be light!—J. L. McBrien’,
School Extension Agent, Federal Educa
tion Bureau.
PER CAPITA COST OF STATE GOVERNMENTS
IN THE UNITED STATES
Covering the Year 1915. Based on Federal Census Bulletin,
Financial Statistics of States, dated April 28, 1916.
VV'. R. Watson, Darlington, S. C.
University of North Carolina.
Per Capita Cost in the United States at large $3,85.
Rank State
1915
1912
Rank State
1915
1912
1
Nevada
$10.36
$10.45
25
Pennsylvania
3.60
3.71
2
California
7.32
7.98
26
Kentucky
3.56
3.33
2
Arizona
7.32
6.20
27
\'irginia
3.54
3.22
4
Vermont
6.76
6.51
28
Indiana
3.4',»
2.92
5
Montana
6.72
6.66
29
New Hampshire
3.47
3.41
6
Slaine
6.53
5.84
30
Iowa
3.42
2.69
7
Minnesota
6.19
6.66
31
Nebraska
3.38
2.90
8
New Jersey
6.08
4.88
32
Delaware
3.35
3.15
9
Utah
6.01
6.09
33
Ohio
3.24
2.63
10
W yoming
5.95
5 20
34
Louisana
3.08
3.92
11
Washington
5.70
4.47
35
Kansas
3.03
2.96
12
VVisconsin
5.59
5.27
36
Florida
3.02
3.41
13
Michigan
5.50
4.30
37
Alabama
2.98
2.77
14
Connecticut
5.38
5.58
38
New Mexico
2.87
3.09
15
North Dakota
5.02
4.84
39
Illinois
2.82
2.21
16
Massachusetts
4.83
7.02
40
West Virginia
2.64
2.14
17
Maryland
4.60
5.27
41
Missouri
2.54
2.27
17
Rhode Island
4.60
6.32
42
Mississippi
2.49
2.29
19
Oregon
4.52
4.17
43
Oklahoma
2.24
1.89
20
South Dakota
4.46
4.60
44
Arkansas
2.20
1.87
21
New York
4,38
6,93
45
(jeorgia
2.13
1.96
22
'Idaho
4.33
7.81
46
Tennessee
2.01
l.?4
23
Colorado
4.22
3.46
47
North Carolina
1.76
1.46
24
Texas
3.69
2.97
48
South Carolina
1.64
1.46
nine in every hundred of our total popu
lation.
2. If democracy concerns the welfare of
the greatest number, then country civili
zation in North Carolina deserves to oc
cupy the largest place in the activities of
both the church and state. Legislation
should concern farm interests first and
foremost, and in all legislation the welfare
of the farmer should be safe guarded.
Agriculture has long been an unconsider
ed detail of State and National Legisla
tion. Any constructive measures planned
for th^greatest service to the greatest
numbers in North Carolina must have to
do with country people. In the future
when men are looking about them to see
where they can do the largest constructive
wor^, let them look to the countryside.